3 Software Stocks to Keep an Eye On
However, some businesses can support their premium valuations with superior earnings growth, and our mission at StockStory is to help you find them. Keeping that in mind, here are three resilient software stocks at the top of our wish list.
Market Cap: $73.9 billion
Founded in 2013 by three French engineers who spent decades working for Oracle, Snowflake (NYSE:SNOW) provides a data warehouse-as-a-service in the cloud that allows companies to store large amounts of data and analyze it in real time.
Why Do We Like SNOW?
Billings have averaged 26.5% growth over the last year, showing it's securing new contracts that could potentially increase in value over time
High switching costs and customer loyalty are evident in its net revenue retention rate of 126%
Expected revenue growth of 24.4% for the next year suggests its market share will rise
Snowflake is trading at $221.49 per share, or 15.4x forward price-to-sales. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it's free.
Market Cap: $1.36 billion
Started by Oleg Shchegolev while still in university, Semrush (NYSE:SEMR) is a software-as-a-service platform that helps companies optimize their search engine and content marketing efforts.
Why Are We Fans of SEMR?
Winning new contracts that can potentially increase in value as its billings growth has averaged 24.8% over the last year
Projected revenue growth of 18.7% for the next 12 months suggests its momentum from the last three years will persist
Prominent and differentiated software results in a premier gross margin of 82.1%
Semrush's stock price of $9.15 implies a valuation ratio of 2.9x forward price-to-sales. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it's free.
Market Cap: $4.48 billion
Founded in Chennai, India in 2010 with the idea of creating a 'fresh' helpdesk product, Freshworks (NASDAQ: FRSH) offers a broad range of software targeted at small and medium-sized businesses.
Why Are We Positive On FRSH?
Ability to secure long-term commitments with customers is evident in its 19.7% ARR growth over the last year
Superior software functionality and low servicing costs result in a stellar gross margin of 84.4%
Operating margin expanded by 9.2 percentage points over the last year as it scaled and became more efficient
At $15.40 per share, Freshworks trades at 5.4x forward price-to-sales. Is now the time to initiate a position? Find out in our full research report, it's free.
Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election sent major indices to all-time highs, but stocks have retraced as investors debate the health of the economy and the potential impact of tariffs.
While this leaves much uncertainty around 2025, a few companies are poised for long-term gains regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate, like our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025).
Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today
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Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tax breaks and spending cuts: Here are the winners and losers in Trump's big bill
There are major changes coming for Americans' finances, after the House of Representatives passed a landmark tax and spending bill at the center of President Donald Trump's domestic agenda. House Republicans passed the legislation Thursday in a 218-214 vote along party lines. The Senate passed it in a 51-50 vote two days earlier. Trump's signature, which came Friday, was the last thing needed to usher in the changes that many people will start seeing early next year. Now that the megabill has passed, expect a ton of short-term debt to be sold to finance the government's deficit 'I'm single': At 70, I have $500,000 in stocks and $220,000 in savings. How do I invest my $130,000 windfall? 'Today is my 61st birthday': I have my ex-spouse's Social Security benefits. Should I retire at 65 and travel? 'I do all the yard work, cooking and cleaning': I live with my daughter and her lazy boyfriend. She wants me to buy her house. Do I say yes? My wife and I are in our late 60s. Do I sell stocks to pay our $30,000 credit-card debt — or do it gradually over 3 years? The bill is permanently etching lower income-tax rates into the tax code and averting a widespread 2026 tax hike, when the 2017 tax cuts from Trump's first term were supposed to expire. But the bill is about more than tax cuts, and its myriad provisions mean that some Americans will benefit from the legislation while others will lose out. For a law Trump calls the 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' the beauty may be in the eye of the beholder. For example, millions of Americans are poised to receive tax cuts — but richer Americans are more likely to see bigger tax savings. There are new tax breaks geared at low- and moderate-income households, but also spending cuts that could make it harder for some to receive public assistance or hold onto health insurance. Homeowners win, so long as they live in areas where they can put a more generous write-off to good use. Car buyers win too, depending on the vehicle they are getting. 'The One Big Beautiful Bill delivers for the American people,' Republican Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a predawn floor speech. 'This is the largest tax cut for working families, farmers and small businesses in U.S. history.' But House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries railed against 'this one big, ugly bill,' recounting the stories of people across the country who talked about the necessity of their Medicaid health insurance — and their fears of losing the coverage. The bill is 'the largest cut to health care in American history,' he said in his marathon remarks. In promoting the bill, the White House and Republican leaders emphasized the wins for everyday Americans. The widely-used standard deduction is becoming more generous, along with the child tax credit. There are new deductions for tips, overtime and other expenses that will add to the ways many Americans can cut their taxable income. The full force of taxes and predicted economic growth would boost annual take-home pay up to roughly $10,000 for a family with two kids, according to the White House. But there's also the value of provisions like a permanently higher estate tax, generous business expensing and partnership accounting rules that all help richer taxpayers. Outside models agree the majority of taxpayers are getting tax cuts when the tax provisions are tallied up. Yet those estimates show that the higher up the income ladder, the better those cuts look. That's both in dollar value and as a share of after-tax income. Estimates from the Tax Foundation, the Tax Policy Center and the Penn Wharton Budget Model show the pattern, each comparing the bill to what would happen if the 2017 tax law expired. In the Tax Policy Center numbers, a household making between roughly $67,000 and almost $120,000 a year would be getting a $1,780 tax cut next year, a 2.3% addition to their after-tax income. The top 20% of households, in a band that starts with households making nearly $220,000 and soars to multimillionaires, get an average $12,500 tax cut. That's a 3.4% increase in their after-tax income. The Penn Wharton Budget Model takes into account the effects of stricter rules for Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — two programs geared at low-income households — in determining how the bill would affect Americans' incomes. In 2027, a household making less than $18,000 would lose $165 and a household making less than $51,000 would gain $30. By 2030, when temporary deductions go away, households in these income bands would be projected to lose more than $1,000. For the top band of households, 2027 increases in after-tax income range from nearly $6,700 to over $300,000, Penn Wharton researchers said. The nation's 4 million tipped workers are getting a deduction worth up to $25,000 in a win for hairdressers, bartenders and waiters, among others. Workers who rely on tips could save an average of $1,700 per year, according to the White House Council of Economic Advisers. The tax break runs from 2025 from 2028, meaning people could start taking the deduction on the 2025 taxes they file next tax season. The question is how many tipped workers will use the tax break, according to the Yale Budget Lab. More than a third of the nation's workers relying on tips had incomes so low, they didn't have to file an income-tax return in 2022, while only 4% of workers earning less than $25 an hour received tips. The break on overtime could save workers between $1,400 and $1,750 per year, the White House Council of Economic Advisers said last month. It runs from 2025 to 2028. Workers who earn regular overtime pay, like nurses, firefighters and construction workers, also stand to benefit from the bill's tax provisions. It's a sliver of the workforce, with 8% of hourly workers and 4% of salaried workers conceivably qualifying for the deduction, according to the Yale Budget Lab. Car buyers will gain a deduction up to $10,000 on their auto loans, applying to the interest paid on loans for new vehicles assembled in the U.S. The average buyer paid $1,332 on auto-loan interest charges in 2024, according to AAA. The tax break is available for loans through 2028, but it's limited to new cars. It's expensive buying a new car, with the average final price at $48,799 in May, according to Cox Automotive. So the question is how many people take up the offer of a tax break? A new-vehicle buyer's income averaged $115,000 in 2023, Cox Automotive data said. Other research suggests a six-figure salary is necessary to afford a new car. Homeowners are getting more firepower to write off their state income taxes and local property taxes. After much wrangling, the state and local tax (SALT) deduction is going to at least $40,000. It will drift higher with inflation through 2029 before tumbling back to $10,000 in 2030. The quadrupled deduction is a win for people living in areas with high state income taxes and big property-tax bills. Critics say that's a giveaway putting other homeowners at a disadvantage if they live in states with lower tax bills. People ages 65 and up are getting a $6,000 deduction, in a nod to Trump's campaign pledge to end taxes on Social Security benefits. The tax break coming to seniors technically isn't excluding their benefit money from taxes, due to the budget rules lawmakers had to follow. But the White House says the deduction zaps out the tax differently. The deduction will exceed taxable Social Security benefits for 88% of recipients. The deduction will reach 51.4 million beneficiaries, according to the Council of Economic Advisers. It's a major break for older Americans living on fixed incomes. Coupled with a standard deduction that's already enhanced for seniors, deductions would total $23,750 for single filers and $46,700 for married couples. It's a short-term win with a tax break that runs from 2025 to 2028. But the bill creates indirect problems for retirees, according to critics. Less tax revenue coming into Social Security and Medicare trust funds will speed up insolvency, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Starting in 2034, Social Security trust funds will hit a shortfall and pay 81% of the promised benefit, according to the latest official projections. Social programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are getting tighter eligibility rules and more verification requirements. More SNAP administrative costs are getting pushed onto states and new limits are coming for the ways states generate the fund to pay their side of Medicaid. A tax-credit boost is going away for people getting their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchange. Almost 12 million more people will be without health insurance by 2034, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's tally of the bill. An earlier CBO estimate put the number at 16 million. Democrat criticism is a scare tactic, Republican leaders say. No one who really needs public assistance will lose it, they say, and work requirements are worth adding to promote work and prevent benefit misuse, they say. Still, the Medicaid changes and their possible fallout have been enough to concern some GOP members. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina voted against the bill due to parts of the Medicaid changes. A reporter asked Trump on Tuesday about the CBO's estimate of nearly 12 million people losing health insurance. The amount of people falling off Medicaid would be smaller and that amount would be targeting Medicaid's waste, fraud and abuse, he said. Medicaid is also the country's biggest payer for long-term care including nursing homes, according to the AARP. Tighter funding may have implications on nursing home access and staffing levels, according to KFF. But the White House says Medicaid without waste, fraud and abuse can better serve the populations it's supposed to help, including low-income seniors. The bill's other main flash point was its price. The bill raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, coming at a time when national debt exceeds $36 trillion. Deficit critics on Capitol Hill slammed the bill. So did Elon Musk. Consumers who need financing may lose out with the national debt worries. Lenders use Treasury yields to help determine interest rates for mortgages, car loans and more. For example, the rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage tends to follow the 10-year Treasury note BX:TMUBMUSD10Y. A bond's price and its yield move in opposite directions. If the Treasury Department issues more debt to finance government operations and buyers aren't willing to buy as much, that would lower the price of government debt and raise its yields — which would raise consumer borrowing costs. The bond market has been watching the bill's twists and turns, said Lawrence Gillum, LPL Financial's chief fixed-income strategist. Though investors are expecting higher deficits, Gillum said their reaction will depend on how big those deficits go. The one thing Gillum can say with some certainty 'is that interest rates are not going to go down because of this bill.' An excise tax on private university endowments is becoming steeper. The excise tax tops out at 8% for universities with a per-student endowment value of $2 million or more, but constitutes a significant increase from the current, flat rate of 1.4%. That's likely a hit to schools, including those in the Ivy League — like Harvard University. Schools will have less money for research and financial-aid packages, said Steven Bloom, assistant vice president of government relations with the American Council on Education. 'Students will lose out in that,' he said. The bill is also set to overhaul the way students repay their federal student loans. Among other things, it's scrapping many repayment plans and going with two ways borrowers can repay their debts. The bill does have some help for borrowers repaying their loans. Workers don't have to count it for tax purposes when their employers paid up to $5,250 on these bills. The bill makes the tax break permanent. The legislation is tough news for Americans who want to buy electric vehicles. The bill eliminates a $7,500 tax credit for the purchase or lease of new EVs, as well as a $4,000 credit for used EVs. Those are just some of the clean-energy tax breaks fading fast under the legislation. 'Renewable energy is the big loser, set to lose hundreds of billions in Biden-era subsidies, while most companies that spent 2025 playing defense on taxes walked away mostly unscathed,' John Gimigliano of KPMG. Now, would-be EV buyers have to step on it if they want the tax code to help defray their costs. The credits on new and used EVs are good through Sept. 30. What personal-finance issues would you like to see covered in MarketWatch? We would like to hear from readers about their financial decisions and money-related questions. You can fill out or write to us at . A reporter may be in touch to learn more. MarketWatch will not attribute your answers to you by name without your permission. My wife and I have $7,000 a month in pensions and Social Security, plus $140,000 cash. Can we afford to retire? 'Finance makes me break out in hives': I inherited $240K from my parents. Do I pay off my $258K mortgage and give up my job? The Dow and Russell 2000 are joining the stock market's party. Is it a game changer for the bulls? My job is offering me a payout. Should I take a $61,000 lump sum — or $355 a month for life? I'm a stay-at-home mom. Do I take a part-time job to spend more time with my kids — or get a job for six figures? Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Nvidia, Intel, Broadcom, Micron, AMD And Other Chipmakers Stand To Benefit As Trump's Tax Bill Increases Incentives To Make Semiconductors In US
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Chipmakers are likely to benefit from the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' passed by the Senate on Tuesday, as they will be eligible for an investment tax credit that can incentivize the semiconductor business. What Happened: According to the provisions of the tax cut bill proposed by President Donald Trump, the Big Beautiful Bill aims to temporarily increase an investment tax credit for semiconductor manufacturers till the end of 2026. It would raise the tax credit to 30% of investments in manufacturing facilities, from the current 25%, providing stronger incentives for companies to expand domestic production. Trump was initially critical of the Chips and Science Act, which granted awards worth $32.5417 billion and provided loans up to $5.85 billion to 32 companies, as per the Semiconductor Industry Association. Trending: GoSun's Breakthrough Rooftop EV Charger Already Has 2,000+ Units Reserved — However, Trump set up a new entity, the United States Investment Accelerator, within the Commerce Department, which now oversees the CHIPS Act program, as established by an executive order signed by him. The Big Beautiful Bill has now gone back to the House after narrowly passing in the Senate, before the President could finally sign it to make it into a law. These are the top chipmakers and the existing beneficiaries of the Chips Act that will benefit from this investment tax credit mentioned within the tax cut Stocks YTD Performance One-Year Performance Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) 13.69% 22.58% Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) 16.35% 56.08% Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) 8.21% -29.94% Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) 5.65% -20.36% Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) 14.83% -15.49% Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) 15.95% -21.91% Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg. Co. Ltd. (NYSE:TSM) 2.35% 11.34% Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) 8.21% -29.94% Texas Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ:TXN) 15.32% 8.37% Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) 39.40% -11.02% Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MCHP) 28.62% -21.82% Analog Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) 15.99% 6.58% Coherent Corp. (NYSE:COHR) -12.16% 19.63% Corning Inc. (NYSE:GLW) 12.87% 37.22% Entegris Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTG) -11.08% -38.54% Globalfoundries Inc. (NASDAQ:GFS) -6.90% -22.05%Why It Matters: On March 4, during his joint address to Congress, Trump said, "Your Chips Act is a horrible, horrible thing." He also urged U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to "get rid" of it and use "whatever is left over" to "reduce debt or any other reason you want to." However, the Trump administration has skipped repealing the act with the Investment Accelerator entity and even managed to get the semiconductor firms to invest in the U.S. over and above the Chips Act this year. In early March, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (NYSE:TSM) revealed its plans to inject $100 billion into U.S. advanced semiconductor manufacturing, significantly expanding its ongoing $65 billion Arizona initiative under the Chips Act and bringing total investment to $165 billion. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has committed over $500 billion to U.S. investments, focusing on AI, silicon engineering, and expanding advanced manufacturing. Read Next: $100k+ in investable assets? Match with a fiduciary advisor for free to learn how you can maximize your retirement and save on taxes – no cost, no obligation. Arrived Home's Private Credit Fund's has historically paid an annualized dividend yield of 8.1%*, which provides access to a pool of short-term loans backed by residential real estate with just a $100 minimum. Photo courtesy: Shutterstock This article Nvidia, Intel, Broadcom, Micron, AMD And Other Chipmakers Stand To Benefit As Trump's Tax Bill Increases Incentives To Make Semiconductors In US originally appeared on Sign in to access your portfolio
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Brazil hosts BRICS summit, eager to avoid provoking Trump's ire
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil will play host to a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies Sunday and Monday during which pressing topics like Israel's attack on Iran, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and trade tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to be handled with caution. Analysts and diplomats said the lack of cohesion in an enlarged BRICS, which doubled in size last year, may affect its ability to become another pole in world affairs. They also see the summit's moderate agenda as an attempt by member countries to stay off Trump's radar. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will have some of his priorities, such as debates on artificial intelligence and climate change, front and center for the talks with key leaders not in attendance. China's President Xi Jinping won't attend a BRICS summit for the first time since he became his country's leader in 2012. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will make an appearance via videoconference, continues to mostly avoid traveling abroad due to an international arrest warrant issued after Russia invaded Ukraine. Debate over language on hot-button topics The restraint expected in Rio de Janeiro marks a departure from last year's summit hosted by Russia in Kazan, when the Kremlin sought to develop alternatives to U.S.-dominated payment systems which would allow it to dodge Western sanctions imposed after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. A source involved in the negotiations told journalists Friday that some members of the group want more aggressive language on the situation in Gaza and Israel's attack on Iran. The source spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the matter publicly. 'Brazil wants to keep the summit as technical as possible,' said Oliver Stuenkel, a professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation think tank and university. Consequently, observers expect a vague final declaration regarding Russia's war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East. As well as suiting Brazil, a watered-down and non-controversial statement may be made easier by the absences of Putin and Xi, Stuenkel said. Those two countries have pushed for a stronger anti-Western stance, as opposed to Brazil and India that prefer non-alignment. A Brazilian government official told The Associated Press Thursday that the group is expected to produce three joint statements and a final declaration, 'all of which less bounded by current geopolitical tensions.' The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the summit's preparations. João Alfredo Nyegray, an international business and geopolitics professor at the Pontifical Catholic University in Parana, said the summit could have played a role in showing an alternative to an unstable world, but won't do so. 'The withdrawal of Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the uncertainty about the level of representation for countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are confirming the difficulty for the BRICS to establish themselves as a cohesive pole of global leadership,' Nyegray said. 'This moment demands high level articulation, but we are actually seeing dispersion.' Brazil skittish in light of Trump tariffs Brazil, the country that chairs the bloc, has picked six strategic priorities for the summit: global cooperation in healthcare; trade, investment and finance; climate change; governance for artificial intelligence; peace-making and security; and institutional development. It has decided to focus on less controversial issues, such as promoting trade relations between members and global health, after Trump returned to the White House, said Ana Garcia, a professor at the Rio de Janeiro Federal Rural University. 'Brazil wants the least amount of damage possible and to avoid drawing the attention of the Trump administration to prevent any type of risk to the Brazilian economy,' Garcia said. While Brazil will continue to advocate for the reform of Western-led global institutions, a cornerstone policy of the group, the country wants to avoid becoming the target of tariffs — a predicament it has so far largely escaped. Trump has threatened to impose 100% tariffs against the bloc if they take any moves to undermine the dollar. Other leaders shun the summit Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Egypt's Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will also be absent. Those two countries joined the BRICS in 2024, alongside Ethiopia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has been invited and is participating in member discussions, but it has yet to send its confirmation letter. As well as new members, the bloc has 10 strategic partner countries, a category created at last year's summit that includes Belarus, Cuba and Vietnam. That rapid expansion led Brazil to put housekeeping issues — officially termed institutional development — on the agenda to better integrate new members and boost internal cohesion. Despite notable absences, the summit is important for attendees, especially in the context of instability provoked by Trump's tariff wars, said Bruce Scheidl, a researcher at the University of Sao Paulo's BRICS study group. 'The summit offers the best opportunity for emerging countries to respond, in the sense of seeking alternatives and diversifying their economic partnerships,' Scheidl said. For Lula, the summit will be a welcome pause from a difficult domestic scenario, marked by a drop in popularity and conflict with Congress . The meeting also represents an opportunity to advance climate negotiations and commitments on protecting the environment before November's COP 30 climate talks in the Amazonian city of Belem . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
